The 74th annual slaughter games
by thesavage2
Summary: Naruto, A boy who is broken, his parents dead when he was only 13 never spoke for the next three years. That is at least, until the 74th annual hunger games. Where Katniss, his last true friend before he closed himself off's, brother was chosen as the male tribute. What happens when Naruto volunteers?
1. Chapter 1

Naruto rubbed his eyes sleepily; the previous night's rest hadn't been nearly good enough for the day to come. The day of the reaping. Groggily he got out of his "bed", more of a stack of hay covered in rags than a futon.

His bare feet touched the cold earth floor of his home. He couldn't nearly afford what most would call only barely bearable living conditions. Naruto yawned and stretched his arms above his head in an attempt to wake up. He ran his tongue along his teeth, gently grazing over his slightly larger than normal canines.

Naruto Uzumaki; the boy who all thought was a broken shell allowed himself to smile slightly. He always enjoyed tampering with his district's opinion on him. Changing from a hyper-active young boy to a shadow of his former self, in a day.

A single day to change his life. The day his parents had died.

Of course, all the jobs in the districts further away from the capital were dangerous; district 12 was no exception to this. With the only real job, that wasn't selling merchandise, being mining. There were accidents, explosions of fuel veins and fires and of these had shook Naruto's world to its core.

_XX Start of Flashback XX_

_Three years ago when Naruto was thirteen there had been an explosion louder and more violent than most; he remembered being round one of his old friends' houses. Naruto didn't bother with friends anymore. The explosion had ripped the air and shook the ground making the young children cower._

_There had been a knocking on the door a few hours later carrying the message. The ever so familiar message for families that had someone working in the mine._

"_We regret to inform you that your parents died in the most recent explosion; they died as hero's getting their co-workers to safety. You have our condolences."_

_These were the hollow meaningless words of people who hold no feelings for the people of the districts. What was two more inhabitants of the districts to them?_

_XX End of Flashback XX_

Ever since then Naruto had been forced to fend for himself, taking jobs that he was underage for. Some days he would go outside the great fence surrounding the district; just to walk or maybe hunt some game. Life had no meaning to him and the minimal risk of hunting he didn't even take into account.

Today was one of those days he decided; he would eat from his steadily dwindling supply of food and go out looking for more. The air would do him good, and there was no such thing as too much of it. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the other end of the spectrum, there was constantly too little food; which Naruto soon found out when he ate his last loaf of bread.

The boy, Peeta Naruto thought his name was, had given him this bread. Naruto didn't know why he had, they didn't know each other or anything but Peeta had handed him the bread like it wasn't abnormal to be giving food like this away. Naruto had of course taken it anyway, one of the many lessons he had learned in his 16 years of life was that free food was something you _never _turn down.

Naruto left the "house" his spiky blond hair ruffled and blowing gently in the wind, lightly touching his once sun kissed skin that had since lost some of its colour from not being outdoors that much. As he walked down the street he looked around after noticing a distinct lack of people around. It didn't bother him that much; after all it was probably just another funeral for more miners.

He wasn't walking in any particular direction but soon found himself in the graveyard where there was a large assembly of people. Interest gently tugged him to see who had died this time, but deciding he would see who it was later.

First however he walked to one of the most dilapidated corners of the cemetery where a wooden plank was shoved roughly into the ground were a handful of roses had started to grow and crouched before it. In a black permanent marker there were words written on the board:

_Here lies Minato and Kushina Kamikaze were they shall rest forever more, together, until the end of time. They leave behind a legacy, who will carry on their name and love of their friends forward to the future. _

Three years ago it had been and yet not a single day had gone by when Naruto hadn't missed them, hadn't wished for them to come back to him. For him to not be alone any more. Slowly he reached forwards and plucked a single rose from the bed of earth in front of the grave. There were no bodies there, since his parents had died in an explosion and no-one had ever found their bodies. Slowly as it always did every time Naruto came to visit his parent's grave the dam that held back his tears slowly cracked. This was the only time he allowed himself to show any emotion and even then only because he was alone. He rose to his feet and turned, meandering slowly towards the throng of mourning people. Whoever's funeral it was must have been well loved.

Eventually some of them began to notice him coming towards them and nudged the people next to them pointing slightly towards the approaching boy. The people began to split in front of him allowing him to pass through them. They all used to know him as the bouncing around happy boy but they knew what had happened; how he had retreated into himself.

Clutching the rose tightly in his hand he strode forward. Noticing the name on the chiselled stone, he froze for a second.

_Hodge Everdeen (_**A/N: The books never mentioned his name so I made one up)**

The Everdeen had been the family's whose house he had stayed at when he got the message. While nearing the open grave he scanned the faces impassively until the saw the black haired girl who he had been playing with when the "incident" happened.

Katniss Everdeen had been his last true friend before he closed himself off. She had been the one who attempted to open him up again. She had failed, but at least she had tried. She was older now, unmistakably beautiful as well but that didn't matter. She had been crying that much was obvious. This shocked Naruto slightly; not once, not even when they were younger, had Naruto seen her cry. Her slightly disarrayed black hair showed a lack of sleep while her eyes were bloodshot. She was holding the hand of her younger sister, Prim, and her brother, (**A/N: Who I know dosen't exist but for the purpose of this fan fiction he does)** Jonathon.

When Katniss saw him her eyes locked with his and widened with shock. He managed to keep his face impassive, although it was a thin façade that he wore now. He realised with a start that he had been clutching the rose with such force that the thorns had cut into his skin and he was now bleeding.

His eyes never leaving hers he stopped, right by the grave; he slowly raised the hand that gripped the rose in its finger. He held it there for a few seconds, allowing a few drops of blood to drip down the hole and into the coffin. Naruto opened his fist, almost tenderly, and the crowd saw the rose fall gracefully drop. He lowered his hand to his side but raise his other one, pressing three fingers to his lips and raised that arm above his head. An old, traditional way of saying goodbye but it got the point across.

Katniss raised her hand to her mouth and did the same, choking up a bit more as she did so. Soon the rest of the group followed until the air was full of raised hands. Eventually he nodded towards Katniss and walked away through the pathway that had been made for me on the way in. He didn't look back.

After, what was to Naruto the most emotional moment and closest thing to breaking his indifference since his parents death, he walked towards the fence. After a few minutes of walking Naruto reached the fence. Then he walked down the fence a little ways and soon found the hole in the fence. Before going through however he waited for a second, listening to the silent mid-day air, to check whether the fence was turned off. As usual it was and he ducked through the hole and walked into the thick, humid forest.

This was the place where Naruto could cut back and just hunt for food which he could sell, eat and trade for valuable things. Moving deeper into the jungle he reached a small boulder which he pushed over to reveal a small dent in the ground which held an iron tomahawk and a few knives as well as their respective sheaves. He reached down and picked them up placing the knives away for the time being in their sheave which was slung across his shoulder.

A few hours into his hunting session there was some quiet rustling behind Naruto and he spun planting the blade of the tomahawk a few mere centimetres from the startled face of… Katniss. She let out a small, almost girly, shriek which instantly scared away Naruto's current prey, a stag. He didn't say anything, he never did anymore, pulled the tomahawk out from the tree with a crunch and walked away in search of a new animal to hunt.

She didn't follow. Just like three years ago she didn't follow. Allowing him to walk away from her. Allowing him to be alone. Allowing him to bottle his emotions up inside of him. She knew it couldn't be healthy for a human being to keep all of their emotions locked away, but Naruto just seemed to drift further and further from her and she hated it. She hated the way he'd ignored her since his parents death, She hated the way he wouldn't come running after her to ask if she wanted to play. She hated the mines from taking his happiness but most of all….

She hated herself.

She hated herself for not having the will to go after him and she hated the fact that she had given up on him so easily. She had moved on so easily to people like Gale who were so just simpler to understand.

Naruto? He just didn't care.

He kept going just like he always did. Step after step after step. One foot in front of the other. Never stopping, never thinking. If he didn't think he didn't feel. If he didn't feel he didn't need to care. That was what he had realised three years ago. "Just keep on living" that is what they told him and this…. this was the only way he could figure out how to do it.

Eventually Naruto stopped hunting, figuring that he had enough rabbits and small game to last on. Carrying them back in his bag, which was more like a collection of barely held together threads that could only just hold them.

When he passed through the streets he started to notice new posters on the wall that advertised the 74th annual Hunger Games that promised to be "yet another emotional experience" as numerous youths fight to the death for entertainment. Fun. In a masochistic kind of way Naruto had always wanted to be picked. He didn't have anything left here. But whenever he wasn't picked he wouldn't pluck up enough courage to volunteer for whatever poor sod got picked.

He didn't know if he would be picked but he wanted to be and he knew that, as he got older, the likely hood of him being chosen increased. He could only hope. Finally, Naruto got home and pushed open his barely on the hinges door, to reveal his grubby and worn room with a small pile of hay in one corner.

It was late; Naruto decided that he was going to get some sleep before the reaping tomorrow. Reaping's were always very tiring days; full of emotional parents and family that simply can't believe that they're "little boy" or their "little girl" had been picked.

He lay down on his mattress of hay and slowly dozed off to sleep.#

XX Time Skip XX

_The next day…._

Slowly, Naruto awoke. His eyes slowly adjusting to the light streaming in from the cracks in the walls, shutters and door. Looking around blearily he tried to remember where he was. It had just been another dream. Another pain filled horrifying dream of subtle and not so subtle disruptions of his memories. Memories of his parents and when they had died. Memories of the past three years alone.

Naruto got up, slipped into his decrepit shoes pulled a ragged shirt and trousers onto himself and walked out towards the district courtyard. His shoes quietly slapping against the hard mud street. There they were. The civilians all crowded around the large wooden stage that a single female figure stood upon; speaking loudly into a microphone.

Her name was Effie Trinket and she came every year. Her hair constantly changing colours and going into more and more ridiculous and unpractical looking styles. Her clothes always followed the way she wore her hair, in stupid and annoyingly fluffy ways. Her fake exuberance at being here yet again for this year's reaping seeming to harm the atmosphere rather than lift it.

"Well then," she practically shrieked, "Let the reaping for the 74th hunger games commence! And may the odds forever be in your favour. First the girls tribute"

She slowly reached into the glass bowl on her left filled with small folded up pieces of paper. After a minute of shuffling them around she picked one up between two of her fingers. She opened it and paused for a second.

"Prim Everdeen!" She said in that annoyingly high pitched voice of hers.

Crying filled the square and every person looked to where Prim had broken down and was being held in Katniss's arms. Eventually the sobbing stopped and was replaced with a few quiet hiccups.

"I volunteer" Katniss spoke quietly , but commandingly.

"Wonderful" Effie screamed in almost childlike joy, "A volunteer! We haven't had one in years! Come on. Up you come."

Katniss walked slowly up to the stage and climbed the stairs. You could tell she was nearly breaking down, just trying not to show it for the sake of her family. Her shoulders where hunched and her head was down slightly. Once she got up their Effie boisterously handed her another microphone.

"And what is your name darling?" Effie said in a sickly sweet voice.

"Katniss… Katniss Everdeen." Her reply came in a monotone.

"Oh! And I would bet my buttons that's your sister down their isn't it?" Katniss nodded mutely while looking to where Prim was being held back by the strong reassuring arms of Gale.

"Wonderful! And now for the boys tribute!" Effie yelled out to the silent crowd.

She ruffled around in the other glass bowl for another minute and pulled out another piece of paper. When she unfolded it her eyes widened slightly and you could almost think she was shaking her.

"Jonathon. Jonathon Everdeen" She almost whispered.

The crying started again, but this time from both Katniss and her family. Katniss was just constantly repeating in her head _No,no,no,no_. As the boy walked past me Naruto came to a decision. He grabbed the thirteen year old child's shoulder and pulled him back.

For the first time in three Naruto spoke. In a soft, but powerful voice four words rang out across the courtyard.

"I volunteer as tribute"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First of all let me say thank you to all the kind people who told that it was a good first chapter and said to keep going. This story is most definitely **_**not**_** planned out so I am open to any suggestions from you guys (and gals) as to where you want this to go, just leave a review to say or PM me. If any of you have read the 1****st****/2****nd**** chapter of my Percy Jackson fanfic then I apologise, I have lost pretty much all my inspiration for Percy Jackson and If I ever get it back then I will continue it. My fanfics probably won't be updated regularly just when I have the inspiration for what to do next, so I apologise for that also. ? As it I am only righting this right now because the internet is down currently. But enough of that. I think it's time for you to read the fanfic right about now…..**

_Previously…._

_For the first time in three Naruto spoke. In a soft, but powerful voice four words rang out across the courtyard._

"_I volunteer as tribute"_

_Now…._

The courtyard stayed silent. No-one moved. No noise except for the gentle blowing of the wind, which gently disturbed the people's hair. Naruto's eyes were glued to Katniss'. They were staring at him with a look of hope, thanks and something else; something akin to horror.

Naruto stayed as impassive as normal, not letting any of his confliction show on his face. Instead he strode purposefully towards the stage and climbed up the stairs, breaking eye contact with Katniss. Taking calm, deep breaths he walked to Effie his eyes now stubbornly looking anywhere but at Katniss. Naruto could hear her breaths racking her body; he could tell it was all she could do to just stand up straight.

Still everything remained silent and Effie just stood their awkwardly.

"People of the nation I give you the tributes from district 12 for the 74th hunger games, Katniss Everdeen and…" she stuttered to a stop realising she didn't know Naruto's name.

"Naruto Uzumaki" He said loudly, hoping it was enough for the people of the capitol to hear.

Effie had obviously been expecting at least a little applause but it was not to be. As one the people in the square raised three fingers to their mouths and lifted them in the air, the same gesture I had used at Katniss' father's funeral. Katniss couldn't handle any more, the dam burst and she started crying. Something that never happens, except for at the funeral.

Naruto walked over to her and grabbed her chin softly, making her look up at him. He stared deeply into her eyes and to Katniss, it felt like he was staring straight into her soul. She calmed quickly, gaining back control of her body. Breathing slower and wiping away the tears she felt the hand leave her face and she instantly missed the warmth.

Katniss looked at Naruto but he was back on the other side of Effie again looking calmly ahead. No emotion in his eyes. Effie was stunned slightly at the response from the crowd. The emotion in their eyes quite clear, anger. Anger at the people that had taken their children, righteous fury at the people that have oppressed them for years and barely contained animosity at the government that had the nerve, the nerve to attempt to take more with a smile and expected them to applaud!

Effie must have sensed the danger she was in if she said more so she quickly piped out a, "May the odds be forever in your favour" before she turned grabbed the newest tributes arms and pulled them into the town house.

"You shall have one hour to say your goodbyes to your friends and family before we leave," she looked at them seriously and they both nodded. She put on a dazzlingly fake looking smile, "good".

We were both "escorted" to separate rooms by armed peace keepers and told to await visitors. Naruto honestly didn't expect to have any but was pleasantly surprised when Katniss' family arrived. Their eyes were bloodshot, obviously from recent crying, so it was safe to guess that they had just visited Katniss.

Immediately Naruto was tackled into a hug by Jonathon, the boy he had volunteered to save, who was constantly repeating "thank you, thank you, thank you." Naruto looked down at the boy with impassive eyes. Obvious that after his previous word to volunteer that he had no intention of speaking. Prim just grabbed his hands and kept telling him thank you as well for saving her brother. Katniss' mother just stood at the back by the door, crying silently.

When she noticed him looking at her she came forward. She took his other hand gently in her own and looked at him with concern.

"You – you look after yourself you hear. And look after my baby girl. You were like a son to me once. It changed when you wouldn't let anyone in. You can't stay like this, you can't be alone. I couldn't bear the thought if you were to die," she sobbed, "if you were going to die alone. Protect yourself and protect my daughter. You were friends once, that must count for something right? Promise me. I don't care if you have to kill. Promise me! Promise me you won't let my girl die. Look after her."

The peacekeepers came in to make them leave then. Jonathon wouldn't let go and they had to drag him away. Prim just let go of Naruto's hand and stepped away. Katniss' mother turned and walked away but stopped by the doorway. She turned her head so he could see half her face. Her eyes were so filled with sadness it almost broke his façade.

"Just – Just don't die. Please."

Naruto nodded mutely and she allowed herself to be led away by the peacekeepers. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_This is going to be a tiring experience _he thought, silently exasperated.

**XX Time Skip – boarding the train XX**

Naruto took one last look behind him at what had been his home for sixteen years. He hoped that he would be able to come back. As sad and frustrating as it was here the uncertainty of death still tugged at his senses. However he knew what his priorities must be. He had made a promise and promises were thing he always kept. Katniss must survive the hunger games. Even if he had to die to make it happen.

Turning once more he faced the inside of the train with an empty expression, just as Katniss clambered aboard next to him the train jerked forward causing her to fall into him. He grabbed her waist gently holding her up.

"T-thanks" she stuttered, looking up into his eyes grey clashing with blue.

Naruto didn't say anything but when he was certain she was stable he let go of her and walked away down the corridor to find his room. Katniss looked down after him until he found his door. She slumped again the wall with her head in her hands and cried silently, trying to remember when everything had gone so badly wrong.

Sure his parents had died but there was something else. She had this nagging sensation in her mind that she had done something wrong. And then it hit her. She was never there for him! All those times he had ran away from her when she tried to say anything she hadn't chased him; just stared after him. Never had she attempted to comfort him, letting him run away from her. And now it was too late, he had shut himself of completely and only communicated with other people when it was a necessity. But never with Katniss, he had stubbornly refused to talk to her.

And it hurt. It hurt her so much that he wouldn't even say anything to her. They had been best friend for _years_ and now they wouldn't even _talk_. She just wanted to be friends and just as she felt like she was making progress, especially so after her father's funeral, the hunger games had come and wrenched the hope from her before it could even grow. Naruto was still as cold and indifferent as ever; Katniss felt like she was further away than ever.

_Although_, she thought, _that may be a good thing_.

But she shook her head free of those thoughts. She wouldn't think about killing Naruto. For one, she knew she would never be able to bring herself to do it; especially so after he had saved her brother. She had to find a way for them both to survive but she knew it was impossible; no hunger games ever had _two_ winners. That was the whole premise of the thing. Last person standing.

Meanwhile Naruto was lying on his bed, staring listlessly up at the ceiling trying to empty his thoughts. Plans of how to make sure Katniss survive were flitting around his mind uncontrollable. He knew the easiest one to do would be for him to die when there were only them left. But there was always the unspoken fear that he wouldn't be able to keep her alive.

_No, _he thought, _I refuse to think about that_.

Naruto was already straining to keep his walls up, at the worst possible time too, and thinking about things like that most definitely weren't helping. He needed to be strong to keep her safe during the games.

He remembered when they were children and how they would laugh and play together with the occasional taunt thrown in. He had been happy then, at least, he thought he had been. It had been a long time since he was truly happy and the emotions he wouldn't let out were bubbling dangerously close to spilling over. Naruto knew he couldn't stay this way forever; three years was already a long time to act like he had. At least he may not have to keep up the mask for that much longer. The pure facts of it were that he was probably going to die. The most he could hope for was that it was quick and more importantly, that Katniss survived.

Slowly his mind started getting quieter until he drifted off into a less than peaceful sleep….

_XX Naruto's Dream XX_

_The forest was growing around him. Tree's sprouted quickly from the wet ground around along with plants, bushes and flowers of all types. In front of him stood his parent's, they were reaching out towards him. As if waiting for him to run in and hug them like he had when he was younger._

_But Naruto couldn't move, so he just stood there and watched in horror as he watched what he saw happen the same as it did every night. His parents grins slowly lowered into slack jaws and empty eyes as blood gently spilled from their mouths and they collapsed silently to the floor._

_This was where the dream normally ended._

_But something was different._

_The tree's kept growing and a new figure slowly faded into existence behind his parents now lifeless corpses. The body was distinctly feminine, with luscious curves and black hair. With a start he realised it was Katniss. Her eyes dancing excitedly with joy like she hadn't seen Naruto in a long time. But the happiness of the dream was not to last, just like all good things in his life._

_Again the face morphed to slackness, her eyes dull and cloudy now. Dark red blood spilling out from her mouth as a slit appeared on her throat. She fell to her knees and suddenly Naruto could move. He sprinted towards her just in time to catch her now lifeless body in his shaking arms._

"_No, no, no! NO!" He raved loudly as the vegetation around him light up in flames that seemed to move slowly._

_The dream ended with the ashes of tree's swirling around Naruto in a non-existent wind._

_XX Dream End XX_

Naruto awoke violently, panting loudly into the cold air of his bedroom compartment. Just like every night he tried the same method. Slowly trying to convince himself it was a dream. Katniss was ok and his parents… well he had long since accepted their deaths.

He reached up and pinched the bride of his nose in frustration. Just a little bit longer. He just needed to keep acting for a little bit longer. He bit into his cheek hard to wake himself up. Naruto could taste his own blood. But his blood was fine, good in-fact, since his blood made sure him know he was awake.

He hit his pillow in silent fury. It shouldn't be hard. Not by now. He should be used to lying to people's faces. He should be used to constantly wearing a mask. His walls should be stronger than ever but instead he found them crumbling into non-existence.

Slowly and silently, in an attempt to not wake anyone up, Naruto got up. His feet touched the reassuringly cold and solid floor. Gently he padded out into the corridor covered in rich carpet with bright patterns instilled into it.

He walked down the corridor; his feet finding the gentle, almost squishy, carpet comforting. Naruto made his way to Katniss' room where he stopped and listened for a second. It was silent. Slowly, carefully, he reached out and opened the door. It made no noise.

He stepped into the room; leaving the door open since he knew he wouldn't be in here long. Naruto looked down to see Katniss sleeping soundly on her bed with the most peaceful expression he had ever seen her wear. Briefly he wondered what she would do if she woke up and found him there, watching over her. As he stood there, Naruto could feel his head mentally shaking with effort as his once solid walls smashed against his mind.

_Just a little bit longer,_ he thought sadly, _just a little bit longer._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I wanted to thank all of you who have read the 1****st**** and 2****nd**** chapter of this story. We've got 30 follows! That may not be much of a milestone but still… It's a milestone! Remember to leave a review or PM if you have an idea of what you want to happen. Currently I'm thinking about what's going to be said at the interview with Caesar and Naruto's score for the private session with the game makers, any idea's PM me or leave a review with your idea. Warning might be slight out of character Katniss**

_Previously…._

_Briefly he wondered what she would do if she woke up and found him there, watching over her. As he stood there, Naruto could feel his head mentally shaking with effort as his once solid walls smashed against his mind._

Just a little bit longer_, he thought sadly, _just a little bit longer_._

_Now…._

Naruto could feel his self-control shattering. He knew that he shouldn't let Katniss in. Especially not know, not when they were about to go into a death match where they would have to fight each other. It wouldn't be fair for either of them to just start anything now and also for his plan to work, she needed to not care if he died. That's why he decided he had to make her hate him.

While Naruto was thinking all this he sat at the breakfast table still with his mask, his ever crumbling mask. He had food piled on his plate but he didn't touch it; he just sat there and stared out the window at the rapidly passing devastated landscape.

_It must have been beautiful once_ he thought to himself

Effie coughed slightly in a desperate attempt to break the awkward silence that had fallen upon the table. Naruto shifted his gaze to look at her emptily and she had to force herself not to shiver. Those empty cerulean blue eyes forcing her to look away.

"You," said Katniss loudly, pointing at Haymitch, "are meant to be training us."

"Stay alive" He said gruffly.

Katniss growled menacingly, an angry Katniss is something you do _not _want to see _EVER_. Haymitch reached for the liquor bottle but she grabbed a knife and stabbed it between his outstretched fingers. He drew his fingers back reflexively but Naruto stayed as impartial as ever turning to look out the window again.

Katniss left go of the knife leaving it planted in the table which Effie stared at her at in horror.

"That table's _mahogany_!" She screeched.

Naruto still didn't care, ignoring the three people around him while Katniss sagged when he looked away. There used to be a time when he would have laughed at that; a time when he would have said "looks like this cat found her claws" but he was silent. She could understand where he was coming from though; much more so since her father died and with the hunger games coming up. She shuddered. She knew that when it came down to it, she would never be able to kill him; all she could do was hope that he felt the same towards her. Otherwise it could get violent between the two very fast.

In truth Naruto was interested in how Haymitch would help them. He never seemed to be sober enough to do anything except eat and then vomit it up 15 minutes later. He had to try hard to keep a sigh from escaping his lips. He could see small animal's moving around in barren wrecks of tree's and little mocking jays calling out to each other. Briefly he allowed himself to think about how good it would feel to be free like them. Nothing stopping them from flying away and leaving everything behind. Panem, the government, everybody and everything.

He was struggling with his feeling, as much as he never allowed it show, he didn't want to be alone; but he was afraid of letting anyone in. Naruto remembered happiness like people would a dream, every waking moment the memory of it fades away. He had accepted being alone and now people were trying to get back to him again. He hated it.

Where were they when his parents died? Sure a few of them had tried some feeble attempt at communicating but even that didn't last long. He was a single solitary island on a calm blue sea. But now the sea wasn't calm, there was wind and rain and clouds blocking the sun. Waves battered the sand slowly pulling out to sea. The island was shrinking and becoming part of the sea.

Naruto thought it might be nice to have friends again but he also knew it was too late. He had accepted his parents' deaths and now he had accepted his own. All that mattered was getting Katniss out alive. He wanted to curl up, he wanted to cry but he knew he couldn't. He had to be strong otherwise _she_ would get in. Naruto couldn't let that happen, he would just make her weaker after the plan was finished.

He knew she would want to be allies and that was plausible. For the majority of the games that could work, it would have to end eventually and he had a feeling that she knew that. He thought she also knew that he was planning something but he didn't know how she could. He hadn't said anything or acted in any way to give it away had he? He blinked realising that his companions were talking.

"…. Train together or separately?" he heard Haymitch ask.

Katniss looked at Naruto who was facing away from them, staring out at the horizon. Eventually Naruto shrugged.

"Why would we want to be trained separately?" Katniss questioned, frowning.

"Apart from the fact that he's not exactly being the warmest to you," he said, pointing at Naruto, "well you might have a skill or ability that you don't want the other tribute to know about. Or you just don't want to." He shrugged, "The choice is yours though."

When Katniss looked at him again Naruto turned and looked at her with dead eyes. Slowly he raised a single eyebrow asking a silent question.

"We'll train together" Katniss answered, while still looking at Naruto trying to gauge any reaction. There wasn't one. He just shrugged and turned to look out the window again.

She felt another piece of her heart crack.

**XX Time Skip – At night XX**

A voice came in over the intercom. _We will be arriving in the capitol some time mid – morning have a good sleep tributes_.

Of course, telling them that they would have to face the capitol in the morning is not the best way to get people to relax. Katniss lay on her bed feeling terrible. Her heart ached and her feelings clashed. Her thoughts were going haywire about how to impress game-makers and how to not be sick when facing all those people. She would have Naruto by her side but Haymitch and Effie hadn't said anything about how to act around each other in the capitol. There were sure to be hidden camera's everywhere and the thought of that didn't help Katniss' stomach. But when she thought of Naruto her heart clenched painfully. She didn't know how to feel about him and around him. It didn't seem to matter either way he would just ignore her.

She sighed and turned over onto her front, resting her head on a much too soft pillow. She didn't know how to deal with it. Being chosen for the hunger games didn't seem real to her, she wished it wasn't. Katniss was hoping in a weird sort of way to be able to spend time breaking through Naruto's defences. Yet she had made no progress, the most she had gotten out of him was a shrug.

Little did she know how close she was. Naruto was tossing and turning in his bed, repressed memories of the last few years creeping into his mind. He remembered running. He remembered being alone. He remembered crying and just wanting his parents to come back. He remembered that a few times, Katniss had called after him. He remembered that she never followed. Naruto remembered all this. He couldn't decide whether he wished he had never run, wished he had opened. He spent the whole night thinking through all the times he could have lowered his shield and didn't.

He never slept that night. It was becoming a habit to not sleep. A dangerous one to have before the hunger games.

**XX Time Skip – Morning XX**

Groggily Naruto sat up, his world tilting slightly from lack of sleep. Bright morning light streamed through the partially open blind, brightening up Naruto's now more tanned face. His whisker marks gently scratching against his cheeks, giving an almost tickling sensation.

He rose and walked to the blind, pulling it up a bit more. Outside they were just entering into sight of the capitol. Naruto had to mentally restrain himself from gasping at the site of glowing skyscrapers that rose up before him towering high into the sky. To him it seemed that they were trying to reach closer and closer to the heavens.

He could see the already bustling streets of the capitol, full with faces looking over at what they now recognised as a tribute train. They started waving and Naruto kept his face emotionless, staring out at the sea of faces of faces looking at him expectantly.

Slowly he raised his hand and gave a small, meaningless, wave and the crowd went wild. Cheering and waving back ecstatically. He turned away from the window and went to get changed. It seemed his outfit for the entrance to the capital seemed to have already been picked out for him.

A black long sleeved shirt with orange stripes going down both sides of his arms and under them; another band or orange around the waist and a single bar going up from that to his stomach where it became a circle and swirled around. His trousers that he was to were black as well with another orange band around the waist area of that. The orange line also splitting of and going down the front and back of both legs. At the bottom of the trousers the lines stopped and turned into another band around each ankle. The shoes were fancy and just black.

When he was dressed he opened his door and walked out into the plush corridor and watched out the window, as he leaned on the wall. He heard a soft click next to him and Katniss' door opened. When she walked into the corridor he had to physically restrain himself from letting his jaw-drop.

She wore tight fittings black leggings with a few orange gems scattered around for good measure. Her shirt was also black but the straps holding the shirt up had large orange crystal holding them together. Luckily the dip in the chest area wasn't very big so Naruto didn't quite have his body giving him away. She also wore black high heels. He knew that her clothes had been picked out for her as well because Katniss would never wear something like _that_.

Naruto quickly looked away before she noticed him staring, getting his emotions back under control; she finally noticed him and blushed when she what he was wearing. The shirt and trousers clung tightly to his muscled and lean frame. Katniss was slightly upset that her clothes, although not chosen by her, had not reciprocated a reaction from him. Her self-esteem got lower and lower when she thought that Naruto might not thing she looked good.

_What the hell am I thinking?!_ She mentally yelled at herself, _I've never cared what boy's thought I looked like before!_

When Naruto was certain he could control his face he turned to look at her for the first time. His sleep tousled hair sticking up lazily in all directions. He raised a single eyebrow as he looked at her clothes, acting like it was the 1st time he'd seen her in them. She blushed even more at his non-verbal query.

"I didn't pick them" She muttered hastily.

Naruto let his eyebrow drop before turning and walking towards the diner compartment. After waiting for a few second Katniss quickly followed after him desperate to get him to at least act like he cared about something.

He pushed through the door the diner without stopping but held it open slightly for Katniss. She smiled at him gratefully but he wasn't looking at her. Specifically _anywhere_ but her. She was getting to him, Naruto knew it; he was reacting to being around her more and more every day. Holding back a sigh he let go of the door and moved to take a seat by the window.

As normal when he got to it he stared blankly out the window, taking in the views of the excessively tall buildings and "glamorously" dressed people. It seemed so wrong to him, that these people thought that looking fake meant looking good. Their wigs and their "surgery" to make them look younger.

In the districts age was a sign of wisdom and strength. It showed that you had been able to defy the capitol and lived through things these people could never imagine. The worst thing they could possibly think of was getting slightly less food or a wooden table. They could never understand the pain of losing someone to something unfair. The mines and the overly brutal "peacekeepers". They would rip loved ones from you without a second thought. It was infuriating. It was maddening ; that these people lived in such comfort when they could give away most of their money and still live better than the people in the districts.

He realised he had tuned out of the conversation going on around him and started listening.

"… When you get off the train there will be reporters and people from all the types of media to see the famous volunteers," Effie clapped her hands excitedly when she said that, "you have to remember to smile and wave. I don't care if you have to fake it, some of the people watching _will _be sponsors and you have to show them you're not afraid," she looked at Naruto at this points, "that's right dear I'm talking specifically to you here. _You _haven't smiled once the whole time I've seen you. I know you can act and it really doesn't matter if you can't just try and get it to the point that they believe your acting."

Naruto kept his eyes blank even though he could feel the irritation riling up inside him.

"Show me what you've got" Effie said, obviously wanting him to smile.

Instantly his demeanour changed, sitting less tense and more relaxed, his eyes lit up and a warm smile spread across his face. Katniss, Effie and Haymitch were shocked. He could change his feeling so quickly? Katniss who had never seen him smile for three years was dazzled spectacularly in the radiant glow of his happiness.

_This boy is too good an actor for his own good_ Effie thought.

"You can stop now" She said politely even though she was severely rattled she remembered the lessons instilled into her for how to act around people, especially tributes.

Instantaneously the smile as gone, his eyes empty again and he was sitting up straight facing them. No emotion showed at all and he was utterly rigid. Katniss had to restrain from whimpering at the loss of the happiness from the now guarded Naruto. Haymitch seemed to be in shock from the boy. The few times he had noticed the boy at the reaping's he had been cold, clinical and efficient in the way he moved and acted. But this boy was something else, he could manipulate the feelings in a room and people would never be able to tell if he was acting.

"Well you seem to be all set then" Effie said simply, she stood and took her leave from the room and Haymitch followed her silently not exactly sure how to feel about this year's tributes.

After a few minutes of awkward silence Katniss spoke.

"Look Naruto," she said, the tone in her voice making Naruto turn to look at her with those dead eyes, "I-I'm sorry. You always ran away and I never chased you. I tried comforting you once or twice but you never responded and I moved on," She was crying slightly now, "I can't go through this thinking that you hate me. Why won't you talk to me? Why won't you act like you care?!" She was almost yelling now.

Naruto looked away, stood and walked out the door after Haymitch and Ellie. He could hear Katniss crying behind him but he closed his eyes and tried to ignore it.

But inside…

Inside he felt the last bit of his island sink beneath the sea.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I would just like to say a huge thank you to all of you guys (and gals) out there who have read or are reading this story. This story recently passed 1,000 views and to me that means a lot. I don't know how many people actually stayed and continued to read but everyone who did thank you and everyone else thank you too. I don't know how long this chapter will be but here we go….**

**Warning: A one or two vulgar words in this chapter**

_**Previously…..**_

_Naruto looked away, stood and walked out the door after Haymitch and Ellie. He could hear Katniss crying behind him but he closed his eyes and tried to ignore it._

_But inside….._

_Inside he felt the last bit of his island sink beneath the sea._

_**Now…..**_

Naruto was breaking down; he could feel it and he knew it. So he rushed to his room. For the first time in three years he could feel tears appearing in his eyes. As soon as he got through the door he sat down on the bed, head in his hands, sobs racking through his body. He wasn't just upset, he was angry too, why did Katniss have to go and ruin everything? Why did she have to pick _now _to want to be friends again? Why did she have to take away his defences _now_?

It felt like hours he sat there, crying silently, until a hesitant knock came at his door. Naruto tensed, hoping it wasn't her. Anyone but her. But of course, luck hated him, and decided he just needed an even _more _exciting life.

"N-Naruto" her unsteady voice called from beyond the door.

He stood drying of his tears quickly, hoping it wouldn't be noticed. He strode over to pull open the door and there on the other side was Katniss; naturally being as breath-taking just to make his struggling heart worse. His eyes devoid of emotion he looked at her. She stepped backwards in surprise at the force that Naruto had opened his with. Something looked wrong with his face; she scanned it quickly noticing that his eye's seemed to be a bit wetter than usual. She frowned.

"Have- have you been crying?" she asked incredulously.

The effect was almost instantaneous. His eye's narrowed almost imperceptibly and a new emotion entered his eyes. It was hate. He grabbed her by the neck and held her up against the wall, her feet waving slightly above the carpet. Naruto close his eyes before he spoke, hoping this act would be enough to fall her. Slowly he opened his mouth.

"You don't get it do you?" he hissed, "Why won't you leave me alone? I _want _you to leave me alone; it shouldn't be that hard should it? After all you've done it for the last three years! What do you want huh? For me to suddenly start giving a shit about you? We are _not_ on the same team Katniss. Remember that."

Katniss slowly slid down the floor, her knees up against her chest. She rested her head on her legs and wept openly, her tears draining into her leggings. She had wanted him to react. She had wanted him to talk. She had gotten him to; but for some reason she never thought he would be angry. The Naruto she had known was a calm, nice and ever smiling person. She had thought she saw a small glimpse of him he was told to act happy. But then again Naruto had been keeping a shield between him and people for three years. He had grown vulnerable under his think outer layers of defence and she had stripped them from him like they were nothing.

Naruto could hear her crying again and he squinted his eyes shut to stop his own tears. He had to act strong. He had to act truly angry. It wasn't very hard for him though since somewhere inside him he truly was angry at everyone who had left him alone; he had just overblown it to the size where it was believable and seemed to be real.

Not once did Naruto falter in his step and he never looked back at Katniss sitting there against the wall. He had to make I seem like his anger had overtaken him and he had an extremely rare outburst at her. She couldn't know it was an act. The plan was dangerously close to failing as it was, he didn't need her to make it harder for him.

His control was turning to tatters; he was too involved with her life and his concerns for it. He didn't know long he could keep up the façade. Naruto wasn't paying attention to where he was going but wasn't surprised when he got to the last compartment with an observatory type feel thanks to the wall's being made solely of glass.

He had wanted to come here for a while, but had never done so. He sat down and began to clear his mind while staring out at the rapidly moving city. The capitol was huge. What he estimated to be thirty minutes later Haymitch came bursting into the room.

"What did you do to her?!" He yelled instantly upon seeing Naruto calmly sitting there without a care in the world.

When Naruto just turned his gaze to look at him calmly without replying Haymitch got furious.

"Who do you think you are toying around with her feeling like that?! What because your parents died you think you're better than everyone else?"

Naruto's eyes hardened, cutting hole into Haymitch.

"I merely pointed out the truth Haymitch," Naruto said quietly, almost whispering, "After all, when that gong goes we're enemies right? I don't see any point in trying to re-forge feeling with someone that I am going to have to fight within the week."

Haymitch noted that Naruto avoided saying anything about killing each other. His eyes widened in realisation. After all he had just seen this morning how good an actor Naruto was. It struck him now that Naruto, as tough as he might try to seem, did care for Katniss, he saw that in order to stop her from going through the pain of becoming friends and then having to kill each other. Instead he had gone for the easier alternative; he had opted to try and make her hate him before the games even began. Naruto was just hurting himself more while protecting Katniss from it.

"This whole time… this whole time you've been pretending?" Haymitch asked, shocked.

Naruto raised his hands while standing up at moving toward Haymitch he slowly started clapping.

"It took you a while," he started, "but you seem to have caught on. A word to the wise, do _not _tell Katniss anything about what you have just realised. I will not hurt her more than necessary."

"But – but why?" Haymitch stuttered out.

Naruto leaned in to his ear and whispered, "Because I made a promise to her family. _And I do not go back on my word_" he continued walking until he was out by the door which he opened, allowing his mask to fall back in to place. A small bell went of signalling that it was lunch.

Naruto sighed; he was worried about confronting Katniss, or rather, Katniss confronting him. As he walked he couldn't keep his thoughts of old memories. Him playing around with Katniss, laughing freely and being truly happy. He needed to focus; he couldn't be distracted right now.

When he eventually reached the diner compartment he frowned. Katniss had taken his seat by the window. He gritted his teeth, crunching them together slightly before opening the door. She looked over at him, surprised at his now emotionless face. He could tell she had been crying a lot because of her severely bloodshot eyes. He looked away before he started feeling the need to comfort her.

Naruto piled food onto his plate and moved off to sit on another table; the one furthest away from Katniss. A pained look swept over her face as he moved right by her without saying a word. A few minutes later Haymitch entered; sparing a brief look at Naruto he went and sat down opposite Katniss. After a few seconds of awkward silence he heard a low volume conversation going on between Haymitch and Katniss. It seemed to be aggravating her and her being aggravated about something he though should be a simple answer annoyed Haymitch.

After listening the their angry buzzing in his ear for a few minutes he closed his eyes and tuned them out, instead thinking about what to do for his private training session with the game makers and the thing that quite possible horrified him more, the interview with Caesar.

It would depend a lot on what his stylists thought he should do of course, when he eventually met them that is. Holding back a sigh he just decided to sit back relax and enjoy the rest of the trip, which would probably be the last alone time he'd get….

"Naruto!" Haymitch called him over.

This time he did allow a slight sigh to escape his lips and he tensed immediately. Once sure he wasn't going to do anything else he didn't want to do and checking that they hadn't heard him. Slowly he stood and went over to sit next to Haymitch; looking anywhere but at Katniss he raised an eyebrow.

"We -" Haymitch started

"He means him, this was all _his _idea" Katniss practically growled at him.

Haymitch shrugged and continued, "_I_ have thought of a way to get you two sponsors," he smiled proudly to himself at this, "have you ever heard the term star-crossed lovers?"

Naruto blinked once, obviously confused.

"He means we have to act _in love_" Katniss sneered.

"Don't sneer Katniss it doesn't suit your pretty face," Haymitch mocked gently, "but yes; she is right. The way you can act Naruto," Katniss face flickered in hurt again, "and your beauty Katniss could get you lots of sponsors."

Naruto considered for a moment, mulling it over. This way he could and would always have to be around Katniss. He didn't know if he could mentally cope with that but he could see the benefits it could bring; plus, as much as he hated to admit it and would _never _do so to Katniss, he liked being around her. However this whole fiasco of him pretending to get angry at her seemed to have worked. She appeared to hate him and yet he couldn't be proud of his acting skills. She tore him apart when she was trying to reach him and now he was damaging himself by rebuffing her; it was like elaborate self-harm.

Finally Naruto nodded, the benefits to Katniss outweighed the damage to him. She was dumbstruck that he was actually agreeing to this and she studied him closer. Nothing appeared to be different, maybe the bas under his eyes had grown slightly but that was probably just from lack of sleep. His eyes were as empty as ever and he still hadn't spoken to her since his outburst. When she thought about that she couldn't stop herself from wincing and she knew Naruto had seen it and understood.

She expected him to look satisfied when she visibly showed a sign of being uncomfortable; but she was surprised when his eyes hardened slightly before emptying again as quickly as it appeared. Naruto looked away, distressed at her searching gaze, meanwhile he was thinking about how he was going to pull this off. He had no experience with love; but from what he'd heard that may be an advantage to making it look real. He sighed mentally, this was going to be difficult.

Katniss was confused. Every time she thought she got close to understanding Naruto he changed; never letting her get near him. It pained her to be kept apart from her friend by the mentioned friend himself; but she had grown used to this pain after having to deal with it for three years. She hadn't expected him to simply accept it just like that, _especially_ after the incident with him getting angry at her. It seemed to her than Naruto was a different person each day and she didn't like it. She wanted him to just be himself because she knew that somewhere inside was the Naruto she used to know.

"Now about your training, I need to know what your skills are. We'll start with you Katniss…" Haymitch said calmly.

"I can use a bow; I guess." She shrugged modestly.

"And you Naruto…."

Naruto stayed silent for a moment, making both Haymitch and Katniss think he wasn't going to answer, "I'm strong," he said, looking over at Katniss as he did so, remembering when he had lifted her up in the air with one hand, "and I can hit things, hard"

"Well ok then…" Haymitch said awkwardly, "you two are going to have to be by each other's side _all_ the time," Katniss started to protest but he cut her off abruptly, "you need to fool the capitol Katniss and while I have no doubts Naruto here can do it I seriously doubt you can. Go find Effie in her room and get her to teach you how to talk and act as if you are in love, I need to talk to Naruto for a second."

Hesitating slightly she got up and left; going to go find Effie. Naruto raised an eyebrow at Haymitch.

"It's hard isn't it?" Naruto didn't have to ask what he meant, "After I won my games I tried to act like they never happened but the capitol didn't allow that. It was victory tour after victory tour and then finally becoming a mentor. Do you understand Naruto? They have their hooks in you know; they will _not_ let you go."

Naruto looked at him seriously for a second before answering gruffly, "Don't worry Haymitch," now starting to walk to the door after Katniss, "I have no intention of surviving these games"

And with that he was gone, retreating back into his room where he lay down and stared at the ceiling completely oblivious to Katniss' frustration a few rooms down.

For the past five minutes Effie had her sat down in a stuffy room with no fresh air and had been constantly correcting her posture. Telling her that for Haymitchs' 'star-crossed lovers' idea to work she had to look like she was always subconsciously leaning slightly towards Naruto and giving him small looks every now and then. She would never admit it to anyone but the whole star crossed lovers idea made her want to blush slightly.

Effie however seemed to magically pick up on this and told her to allow it to happen on stage. It would just make her look more innocent and love struck to the audience and they would just fall for her even harder. She did this a few times and thanks to the large mirror on Effie's wall she saw the effects of it. Her cheeks flushing slightly red and making her look sweet and pure. Effie just kept muttering about how Katniss was sitting and how it was all wrong mixed in with a few comments on how 'pretty' Katniss looked.

Meanwhile in the other room Naruto was slowly drifting off to another restless sleep.

_**XX Naruto's Dream XX**_

_They were dancing on a smooth white marble floor; Katniss dressed in a white flowing dress that looked suspiciously like a wedding dress while Naruto stood proud in a black suit with an orange tie. They spun gracefully across the floor, almost floating, their feet touching the stone barely making a stone._

_There was other people dancing around them but he had eyes only for Katniss. Her head rested calmly on his chest as they swirled. Her black hair in her signature lock, with not a single strand out of place, nestled into his chest._

_Eventually she looked up slowly to look into the almost glowing cerulean blue eyes of Naruto staring intensely down at her. She smiled blissfully and returned her head to resting on his solid chest._

"_Naruto," She said quietly, and Naruto leaned in closer to hear as she stretched up onto her toes and whispered in his ear, "I love you"_

_Naruto stood back up straight and beamed practically radiating joy. Before he leaned back in to her ear and whispered back, " I –"_

_He was cut off when he felt something sharp and solid against his chest. He stepped back and looked down. His face went pale. Sticking out of Katniss' chest was a javelin. Slowly the white of the dress slowly turned to red as the blood spread from the fatal wound. Blood gurgled from her throat and spilled forth as she attempted to say something._

"_I – I – I…" but she couldn't and her face went slack and her eyes dulled. Naruto wailed out into the night as he cradled her to his chest, staining his suit…_

_**XX End of Naruto's Dream XX**_

He awoke with a start; sweating profusely. When he realised it was a dream he lay back down.

A chasm appeared in the ocean of his mind and water gushed down it leaving behind barren, cracked, dirt.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So I am extremely happy to say that we have nearly passed the 2000 views milestone, not a very big one but it is to me! I wanted to thank all of you who are reading or have read this story. 50 followers as well! I have also received a lot of comments saying they don't like Naruto like this, don't worry! He won't be like this for much longer (hopefully, I don't really know I haven't planned this story at all, im just going with the flow as it were). Any who…..**

_**Previously…...**_

_He awoke with a start; sweating profusely. When he realised it was a dream he lay back down._

_A chasm appeared in the ocean of his mind and water gushed down it leaving behind barren, cracked, dirt._

_**Now…..**_

Naruto was confused. He was tired, he was angry at himself and he was most of all confused. He needed to know if the dreams meant anything; normally he wasn't one to invest in superstition but the common occurrence of these nightmares had to be more than a coincidence. Slowly, and yet surely, his plan was going out the window but of one thing he was certain. Somehow, irrevocably, he was slowly falling for one Katniss Everdeen.

He knew it wasn't a sudden thing; Naruto had felt the changes to his thoughts on her progressing constantly but had once again chosen to block her out. So he couldn't do anything but blame himself for his current predicament, his eyes shut and trying to sort through his varied and erratic emotions.

Naruto couldn't keep it up forever, now he just had to find a way to get Katniss calm again _without _her beating the living daylights out of him. He sighed; no doubt he had made his job harder for himself when he 'got angry' at her. But good things are never easy in life and when you get them, it just makes it all the more rewarding.

He would sort it out when they got settled in the capitol, he promised himself. Until then I just need to wait; only for a little bit longer would the façade have to last and even then he wasn't sure it would. Naruto could see cracks in it now but he chose to ignore them, hopefully he would never need it again.

He wasn't dressed currently just lying down in khaki shorts with the blinds drawn in his room.

_Five minutes till we reach our destination_ the monotonous voice called out of the speaker.

Sighing again Naruto stood and pulled on another shirt just like the one he had worn the other days. He liked this shirt, orange always appealed to Naruto even in the most not stylish of places (*cough orange jump suit *cough*). When he got out of his room and into the corridor he had to blink several times to adjust to the bright lights streaming in through the window along with the numerous neon signs littered across the buildings.

Soon after the train slowed to a standstill and the lights on the wall and floor lit up, shining in the direction he needed to go to get to the exit. Walking slowly, not in any particular hurry, Naruto started noting new things he hadn't noticed about the train before. There were small camera's hidden in nooks and crannies as well as places you just wouldn't think to look.

_Have they been monitoring us the whole time?_ Naruto thought and shivered, _Maybe this star-crossed lovers thing won't work after all….._

It might not matter that much though, once your inside the arena, it's just you and your opponents but the sponsors give tributes an edge one that at the moment, Naruto doubted he had. He had to make it work. He had feelings for Katniss; he knew that so why was it so hard? He was almost certain that she held feeling for him to. His worry was that he had already gone too far in his previous attempt to destroy those feelings. He really was too good an actor for his own good.

Naruto had started spacing out as he continued his train of thought but recovered when he walked into a door. He growled quietly, looking around to check if anyone had seen him, then rubbed his head. Was he overthinking this? Did he just have to 'do' instead of planning out? He hadn't done that in so long he didn't know if he could.

Opening the door he found the exit to the train and waiting there patiently for him was the rest of the people he was travelling with. Katniss wouldn't look at him and pain flashed through Naruto's eyes but he looked away when she noticed him. Haymitch just stood with his hands in his pockets whistling quietly to himself. Effie was franticly fussing over her hair and clothes, her clothes by the way could not be called clothes, it was basically just feathers.

Katniss and Naruto took their places at the front and stood side by side. Remembering Haymitch' advice he grabbed Katniss' hand quickly just as the door opened and all hell broke loose. Camera flashed came from tens if not hundreds of reporters clambering desperately to get a good shot at the volunteers. Katniss couldn't help but blush a little bit at the attention and Naruto's warm, soft hand holding hers. She tried to look up at him questioningly but he wasn't looking at her; instead beaming out at the crowd and waving, certain this would be on every TV screen around Panem. His white teeth caught the sunlight and seemed to glitter. His eyes once void were so full of happiness it hurt Katniss' heart that it was all just an act. Boys were so confusing…..

Little did she know Naruto wasn't acting, really honestly happy that she hadn't hit him when he grabbed her hand. He finally let some of his happiness slip through and he felt alive again. Energetically grinning at the reporters and waving. It might help the other tributes under estimate his abilities; thinking him to be a clown. His smile made the people around him go crazy, all of them calling for the blond to look at them. You could practically see the women of Panem swooning over him already.

When they finally got through the mob of people Naruto sighed but kept his hand in Katniss'; needless to say she didn't complain. She liked the warmth his hand gave her, not just physically, but mentally as well. Just by hat small amount of skin on skin contact she felt small, warm, tingles go up her spine.

She had never felt this way before around anyone. She felt like hand-holding was so much less than what she wanted to do but Naruto had already told her how he felt about her. If only she knew that he felt the exact same way. He couldn't bring himself to let go; whenever he felt like he was going to she would imperceptibly squeeze his hand. That was probably a good thing however because the Capitol were likely to have spy's and cameras everywhere.

They walked into and large stone building and up a flight of brightly coloured stairs. Up on the roof a helipad was propped up slightly, with a hover-craft (**is that what they're called?**) floating slightly above it. They climbed up and into the cold interior of the aircraft and sat down on a metal bench. Naruto deemed it safe to let go of her had but when he did her head snapped to him. Grabbing his hand back she practically slammed it into hers and scowled. He raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly causing Katniss to blush and look away.

_What am I doing?_ They both thought at the same time; but for different reasons.

Naruto allowed himself a smirk and Katniss hit him. This really wasn't helping his confusion. Haymitch was just watching amused and Effie was too busy check her hair in a pocket mirror. While she was looking away Naruto studied Katniss' face. Her cheeks were tinged red slightly with a blush but he could see the corners of her mouth were pulled down slightly.

He decided to talk to her about it later however since the hover-craft had obviously just landed at their destination. After a few seconds of stilled silence the side door was pulled open and the pilot gestured for them to get out. Naruto jumped out first crouching slightly since he didn't expect them to be off the ground. He heard Katniss land almost silently behind him; graceful as a cat. Haymitch took another head-dive and growled under his breath, something about stupid capitols and no warnings. Effie waited for the pilot to go and fetch her some stairs and walked down quickly.

"Come come. We've got to show you around," She went off on telling how they had two floors to themselves, the top floor would be bedrooms while the bottom one would be utilities like the dining room and kitchen, "That room there is yours Naruto," gesturing vaguely to her left, in the direction of a single white door, without looking or stopping, "that's your one Katniss," doing the same as with Naruto pointing to her right this time though, "breakfast will be served as 8:30, Lunch at 12:00 and Dinner at 19:00. Got it?"

Naruto and Katniss nodded seriously and Effie waved them away. They walked both went to their respective rooms and looked over their shoulder at each other, at the exact same time. Their eyes met and Katniss blushed looking away. Naruto grinned happily. He knew there was something there, he knew it!

If possible the rooms in this place were even better than on the train. The large bed topped with white satin sheets, the outer wall was made completely of glass with a sliding door to gain access to the balcony, and it had an ensuite bathroom and a large oak wardrobe.

Naruto flopped down onto the soft bed. His mind started to wander and naturally instantly snapped to Katniss. She would only be a few steps away from his door and he was lying here thinking about her. He rose and went out onto the balcony; the sliding door didn't make a noise. Harsh wind rippled through his spiked hair swirling it in every direction. The wind was cold, but bracing. He smiled despite himself as he looked over the vast capitol, the numerous lights glowing in every colour imaginable reflected brilliantly on his bright blue eyes.

He started thinking about the hunger games. Would he have what it takes to impress the game makers and make alliances? Would he even have it in him to kill someone? Somehow he didn't think so; but then again, adrenaline can do incredible things. And he had no doubt he would be running on nothing but adrenaline throughout the games.

He didn't even want to think about killing anyone. He pushed a hand through his hair making it stick up slightly more in the wind. At least the interview promised to be entertaining, but would it be? It was when you watched it from home but when you're the one being watched by thousands of people he had no doubt it would be _slightly _more stressful.

He would have to talk to Haymitch about what his angle would be in that and what he should and should not do around the other tributes during training. Naruto could hunt, he knew that much, he might even be a better hunter than Katniss which was hard to believe. Physically he was strong, a lot stronger than most people. He had no problem picking up heavy objects in one hand that others could even lift the smallest bit off the floor. If there was something big in that cornucopia then he was going to get it if only to stop one of the other tributes from getting it.

He knew the odds were never in the higher numbered districts favour; the ones closest to the capital were the richest and most well trained killing machines. They were trained to cope under the stress and pressure of the games. People from Naruto's district and other places like it were never the same when they got back. Take Haymitch for example. He was calm and confident when he left but when he got back he was a wreck and had drunk his sorrows away. Naruto shivered when thinking that he might end up like that if he won.

_But I'm not going to win am I?_ He thought _For Katniss to get home I have to die._

Naruto wasn't eager to die but he also knew how important Katniss was to him and other people. Nobody would care if Naruto didn't come back. Sure maybe some would cry and weep at the time but he would be forgotten eventually. Katniss was held dear to many and provided quite a major source of food income from her illegal hunting.

It's not like he expected to win anyway even if he tried and if a miracle did somehow happen and he was left alive at the end then he was certain he would be insane. And yet through all his depressed thought's Naruto was the happiest he had been in three years. He would be able to do something worthwhile and would save a life.

After what might have been five minutes or half an hour Naruto walked back inside and went to the door. Opening it he was surprised to see Katniss just outside the door preparing to knock. She blinked once and blushed.

"N-Naruto we need to talk" He nodded and stepped outside closing his door behind him.

"Why do you hate me?" Naruto blinked stupidly for a second before laughing.

"Hate you?" he said quietly, "How could I ever hate you? Why can't you understand? We will have to kill each other in these games," When Katniss went to protest he held his hand up, indicating silence, "I have never hated you Katniss. I'm trying to make this easier for you. If we get attached in any way friend ship or….." he stuttered to a stop here and blushed a little, "the other way then you will only get hurt. Can you understand Katniss? I want to get to know you, I want to be friends, I want to be…. But it doesn't matter because one of us will be dead within the two weeks and quite frankly and rather it was me. I can't let the most annoying, stubborn, self-confident, amazing, beautiful person die…" He stopped blinking realising what he had said.

"I – I –" she floundered like a fish on land.

He looked at her, really looked at her. Taking in her clever eyes, her perfect nose. He cupped her face in his and softly. She looked at him startled. His eyes were gentler then she had ever seen them. She closed her mouth silently, stopping it from flapping anymore. Slowly he leaned in

And Naruto kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I planned to write this chapter earlier than this but I lost my creative spark for some reason. No ideas are forth coming, and still aren't now, but I'm just going to write and see what happens. I hate writers block if the quality is worse than before I apologise but I didn't want to disappoint you readers by delaying anymore. Also… 7,000 views! I don't know how many different people but thank you for reading. So on with the show.**

**Disclaimer (because I forgot the earlier ones): None of this belongs to me except maybe **_**some**_** ideas.**

_**Previously…..**_

_He looked at her, really looked at her. Taking in her clever eyes, her perfect nose. He cupped her face in his softly. She looked at him startled. His eyes were gentler then she had ever seen them. She closed her mouth silently, stopping it from flapping anymore. Slowly he leaned in_

_And Naruto kissed her._

_**Now…..**_

When Katniss eventually unfroze from her shock brought on by the new set of lips on hers she attempted to deepen the kiss. But Naruto tensed, knowing he had done something wrong. Mentally he was hitting himself over and over for letting his guard down; but it was too late now. He pulled back sharply not looking at her eyes.

Backing away quickly until he was pressed against the opposite wall; he finally looked at her. Katniss was openly staring at him with wide eyes full of surprise and looking slightly dazed. A single solitary tear traced its way down his cheek. It had felt good; way too good to be safe. As much as it might make him happy he knew it would only come back to haunt them later. His feelings had caused his actions to stray far away from his plan and he knew what the backlash from that would be.

Naruto turned and stumbled away from her. He could feel her eyes boring into his back. Ignoring it he scrambled up the corridor; latching firmly onto window sills to pull him along.

"Naruto! Wait!" Katniss called out after him. He ignored her. Finally getting control of his body again he straightened and took some deep breaths whilst still walking. Calm was needed for him to think rationally and even then his body still tingled from the kiss

_Damage control, _Naruto thought to himself, _I need to run damage control_.

But how? He had acted rashly and not thinking of the consequences. One way or another only one of them was going to leave the arena and he fully intended for Katniss to be the victor; preferably as easily as possible. The task however was proving difficult with the fact that he didn't know what the arena was going to be like. Naruto was fairly certain it wouldn't be a desert since that had been done recently and had been "way too quick" for the audience.

Silently cursing his own stupidity he finally reached the door to his room and opened it violently startling the avox who was checking the room for anything out of place. Naruto frowned slightly at the girl. She had pink hair but it was cut short, her eyes were quite large and gave an almost innocent look to her face. He thought that she looked similar but after a moment of trying to remember while she stood there he shrugged; realising the probability of actually knowing this avox before she became one was very small.

The girl was looking down; refusing to meet his gaze. Naruto narrowed his eyes. Even with his somewhat mediocre understanding of other people's feelings he could tell she was afraid. Her shoulders were tense and it looked like she was shaking slightly. Shocked Naruto realised she must be waiting for him to punish her.

Gently, tenderly even, he reached forward and grasped her shoulder. Jerking upwards she stared into his neutral eyes. He pulled her towards the door before slowly pushing her out; all the while still trying to remember where he had seen her. An almost imperceptible frown rested upon his eyes when no memory came forth. Taking one last look at her face he closed the door, turned, and lay down on his bed.

**XX Time-skip – evening XX**

Naruto awoke to the sound of his name being called from downstairs. Groggily he sat up; confused because he couldn't remember when he fell asleep. He was pretty certain he hadn't meant to. Sighing quietly he stood and moved to the closet.

He picked out an orange button up shirt with black cuffs and he rolled the sleeves up on his arms. After that he picked out a random pair of black jeans and put them on. Two weeks of training, and an interview from now he would be standing on one of twenty-four podiums about to fight and probably kill other children. Albeit he didn't know them but it didn't make murder any easier. But in a kill or be killed situation there is nothing you can do.

When he was finished he shook his head clear of his thoughts and went downstairs to eat. As he opened the door he could feel Katniss' eyes on him but he studiously avoided her gaze. Naruto was in no mood to talk or do anything about what had happened earlier and, as childish as it sounded, e kind of hoped that if he left it alone long enough it would disappear.

On the table was the largest chicken he had ever seen, surrounded by vegetables and lettuce and looked to be almost stuffed to bursting. Some more avox were scattered around the room and as they approached Naruto could almost feel waves of emptiness emanating from them. A slice of the chicken was served onto his plate and he took a cautious bite. The meat melted on his tongue and tasted divine but he stopped himself from stuffing his face immediately; they had things to discuss, interviews to plan and training to think about.

"So….."Haymitch began, obviously sensing the tension in the air, "as you probably know, in every single game, each contestant has had an angle in their interview and from the two of you, only one of you is a good actor," he said, looking directly at Naruto, "and the other can't if her their life depends on it, which it probably does." he paused, whether for dramatic effect or just to take a breath Naruto didn't know, "We have already seen how well you can pretend to be someone you're not Naruto, we will have to rely on that to get you through the interview. Acting smug won't look good on you, plus District 1-3 already have that down. Modest maybe….. uncaring?" he nodded to himself, "that could work. Try to play off everything, appear to not be concerned about the game and what happens in it."

Naruto nodded, his cerulean blue eyes fixed onto Haymitch' to show his understanding. He turned to Katniss now, evaluating her.

"With a little touch up here and there the Capitol will fall for you. I am sure your stylist will make you look great but a lot still rests on how you act on stage. Flirty just plain won't work," Naruto was pretty sure everyone cringed at the idea of Katniss flirting, "and along the same lines sexy won't work either. From what I have seen you are too experienced to act naïve. I think the best course of action would be to improvise."

Effie, who had so far gone unnoticed because of her acting less like her normal flamboyant self, choked on her tea and Katniss blanched. Acting was something she could at least make a pitiful attempt at. Improvising in front of the population of Panem? That was a different matter entirely.

"Then we will have to make her manner perfect, Haymitch," Effie finally spoke before pursing her painted and glittered lips, "After supper she will come and have a _long_ session with me. Naruto should be fine."

"Now onto training. If we are to make this whole 'star-crossed' thing work then you two," he gestured at Naruto and Katniss, "will stay by each other's side at _all times_. No exceptions. You can never tell when the capitol is watching."

Naruto had frozen; his fork with some food on it staying halfway between his mouth and his plate. Slowly he lowered it onto his plate again with a clink. He noticed everyone was looking at him. Gently he pushed his chair back, stood and walked back out the door.

He was dimly aware of Effie and Haymitch calling after him from back in the dining the compartment but he ignored them, gritting his teeth as he strode down the corridor. Reaching the stairs up to the garden; Naruto took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself. He had managed to put up with Katniss being in close proximity to him.

_Well,_ he thought sourly, _almost managed_.

So surely being near her for a few days wouldn't be _that _bad. Of course by this point he was starting to understand that he had overestimated how much control he had over himself and how much she could, however accidently, could screw up his plans. Gritting his teeth he climbed the stairs, bracing himself against the cold. Oddly, his worries over Katniss seemed to be overpowering his stress over the games quite dramatically. Not that surprising considering his lack of care over survival.

Briefly he wondered to himself what all the other tributes from different places thinking of plans to kill everyone, including the person they came here with.

_They would think me strange, _he thought to himself,_ while they plot away I wonder how to keep someone alive. "A fool" they would call me,_ he pondered it briefly, _am I being foolish? Thinking that I can possibly make someone else win?_

Wind gently blew through Naruto's hair raising it into even more exaggerated blond spikes. The whisker marks on his face gently rising and falling from his skin. He sat down abruptly on a cold marble bench.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the sound of soft footsteps coming up the stairs behind him. He only noticed when the person sat down next to him. Narutos eyes flickered away from the still brightly glowing signs of the capitol to look at who was sitting so close to him. What he saw was the black hair and angular face of one Katniss Everdeen staring intently at him. He pursed his lips an almost imperceptible amount. She looked almost expectant, obviously hoping for him to ask first. He didn't. Instead he stood to leave.

"Naruto," She said firmly. He didn't move, "why?"

Slowly, he turned to look her in the eyes, "_Why_ you ask me? Why what?"

"Why won't you talk to me? Even look at me? You kiss me and run," Even through his best poker face, Katniss could see Naruto flinch and grimace slightly, "the likelihood of one of us surviving these games is twenty-three to one, probably even more. Won't you allow me to be happy for what is probably going to be the last week or two of my life? Won't you let me have you?"

Naruto chuckled bitterly, "_Let_ you have me, Katniss? For someone who is and acts so clever you truly are clueless in something's aren't you?" She looked at him strangely at that, "You _have_ me Katniss. You have me so wrapped around your finger that is _scares_ me. A part of me knows that you would never make me do anything but it's not so simple. I have been so alone for years that the prospect of having anyone near me is…. strange. Honestly I am the most selfish person you could ever meet. All I can think about is what could happen to _me_. I would finally get you. And then you would be taken from me. What would that do to me? Letting you be near me is so very wrong and yet so right."

He turned again and prepared to walk away when he felt a slim hand fit tightly into his.

And distantly, but no less distinctly, he could feel himself teeter over the abyss.

Give up.

And fall head first into it.

**A/N: I am **_**so **_**sorry for how short this is…. like I said I got writers block. But I have been having loads of other ideas for a new story which I may start. I am definitely not giving up on this it is just that I am hoping that writing a bit of this other story will clear my block. Hope you enjoyed. Until next time…..**


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